Incredibly Random

Last night I had an amazingly random thought. I decided that if I were ever to set up shop as a private lawyer, I think a good name for the office would be "Pretty Pleas."

No? Ok, nevermind.

Law offices are named after their partners (for example "Smith and Smith"), not creative names like "Innocence Inc." or "Acquittals R Us" (or "Pretty Pleas.") I learned in professional responsibility that this is because we don't want the names our offices to convey a false "promise" of a particular outcome.

But then think about this: There are doctors' offices with names like "Springfield Wellness" or "Neighborhood Health Center." But no one says that they had some false expectation when they come out of there with an incurable disease. No one says "Hey, they promised me wellness."

6 comments:

When we move to Baltimore, after I take the stupid attorney exam, I'm thinking of starting my own practice. I do love pretty pleas, but I don't know that it would help business to be known as the "attractive cop out lawyer".

I could be wrong. But, see, my last name is all weird so maybe I'll have to go with something like Smith and Smith even though there won't be any Smith involved at all.

In my family, we usually get our serious medical care from Resurrection Hospital. Talk about setting high goals!

Tell those stuffed shirts in professional responsibility that if firms used more creative names then those of us who hire lawyers would know what business the firm thinks it’s in. If I need a defense lawyer, for example, I want one that has a lot of experience, meaning one that focuses on defense.

Granted, a name doesn’t tell you if they’re any good, but it does sort of imply a commitment to a particular practice area. A name like “Law Offices of Oliver Xavier Prendergast” tells me nothing. For all I know they specialize in felonies & misdemeanors, minor traffic offenses, drunk driving, hardship licenses, license suspensions, wrongful death, real estate, tax levys, leins, estate auctions, accident & injury, product injury, workmen's compensation, bankruptcy, buying or selling personal or business property, buy self agreements, corporations & partnerships, divorce, paternity actions, adoptions & guardianships, social security disability, general litigation, and estate planning. (That’s an actual list from one three-lawyer firm. I guess I’m out of luck if I’m looking for an admiralty lawyer.)

On the other hand, I’d have some idea what I’m getting if I called "Innocence Inc." or "Acquittals R Us" or "Pretty Pleas" or, for that matter, “Blonde Justice”.

The Florida Bar Association had a problem with a law firm advertising it's phone number as 1-800-PITBULL. The bar association tried to force the law firm to pull the ads, but the law firm won in court.http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/state/9832925.htmI think a name and slogan are very important to marketing your firm, but not the most important thing. If you are just starting a law firm, the name doesn't really mean anything. If you have a name that is easily remembered, your clients will remember it when they are referring their friends to your firm, but at the beginning you have no clients to refer business to you so it's a little less important than say..... finding some way to make your phone ring.